Grassroots round-up from around the UK
Written by I Dig SportsThe Paris Olympics is underway but club athletes continue to compete in force around the country
NORTH EAST GRAND PRIX T&F, Monkton Stadium, Jarrow, July 24
The fifth meeting of the North East series saw Adrian Bailes squeeze home ahead in the 1500m in 3:57.1 and it was just close for Ben Schofield with his 48.85 400m win.
Philippa Stone, the England Athletics silver medallist, had it easier in the womens 1500 metres when clocking 4:21.9.
Selected results
Men
400: 1 B Schofield (Gate) 48.85; 2 L Robson (Gate) 49.09; 3 L Townson (Gate) 49.53
1500: 1 A Bailes (Birt) 3:57.1; 2 J Blevins (Gate) 3:57.5; 3 A Russell (Darl) 3:58.6
Women:
400: 1 L Creaby (Gate) 56.87; 2 Pold (NSP) 57.08
1500: 1 P Stone M&C) 4:21.9; 2 S Haston (Gate) 4:30.6
EGLINTON 5km, Derry, Northern Ireland, July 28
Declan Reid, the 2017 British & Irish International Cross-Country M40 bronze medallist, won overall in 15:35 to go third on the M50 rankings for the year.
Overall: 1 D Reed (Derry, M50) 15:35
M60: 1 D McCarthy (Derry) 19:06
U15: 1 E Tosh (Bmena & A) 15:58
Women: 1 S Stewart (Anna, W40) 20:00
W55: 1 H Shields (Derry) 20:34
W60: 1 A Paul (Derry) 21:00
BATTERSEA PARK HALF-MARATHON, London, July 27
Overall: 1 U Ultan (Belg) 69:48; 2 S Friend (Hunter) 70:48
M45: 1 S Johnson (Edin) 73:55
Women: 1 T Baxter (New J) 81:54; 2 V Nakrosiute 81:55
MAGOR 10km, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, July 27
Welsh Trail running champion Jacob Tasker improved his personal best to win by over a minute-and-a-half in 30:57.
Further down the field, Sandy Masters the 2024 top ranked and twice London Marathon W65 winner, went fourth on her age group rankings for the year with 44;14.
Overall: 1 J Tasker (Ogmore) 30:57; 2 T Evetts (W Tempo) 32:34; 3 S Griffiths (Caldicot) 32:54
M55: 1 L Aherne (P Bryn) 34:56; 2 T Wright (Corn) 35:15
M60: 1 A Marshall (Chep) 37:59
Women: 1 A Evans (les C) 35:58
W50: 1 K Hughes (Wbury) 39:45
W55: 1 N Morgan (Chep) 41:27
W60: 1 L Porter (Bitt) 44:37; 2 E Warmby (Brackla) 45:24; 3 G Marshall 45:38
W65: 1 S Masters (Wbury) 44:14
W70: 1 B Avery (Chep) 55:33
SHREWSBURY 5km FESTIVAL, Shropshire, July 27
John Gilbert had his first outing over the distance in nearly five years and won narrowly from Andrew Davies to go top of the UK M40 rankings for the year with a 14:42 clocking, a time that was also a lifetime 5km best.
This came after a long line of solid distance runs for the Kent AC runner who also won the 2017 South of the Thames 2017 7.5-mile cross-Country Championship.
Davies 14:45 took the 2022 European 50km bronze medallist to second on those 2024 lists.
Overall: 1 J Gilbert (Kent, M40) 14:42; 2 A Davies (Maldwyn, M40) 14:45; 3 B Biggs (Belg) 14:48; 4 A Peacock (BRAT) 15:06; 5 C Rogers (Wrex) 15:06; 6 L Burgess (B&W) 15:08; 7 J Thomas (Stoke) 15:14; 8 R Challinor (Buckley) 15:15
M50: 1 P Jones (Shrews) 15:44; 2 J Prest (Traff) 15:55
M70: 1 P Johnson (Mercia) 21:43
Women: 1 H Jacobsen (Preston) 17:20
W45: 1 D Sherwin (Stoke) 17:45
W50: 1 J Stanfield (Trenth) 19:05; 2 L Tait-Harris (W&B) 19:13
W55: 1 S Taylor (Trenth) 20:26
W65: 1 C Wyn-Jones (Dees) 24:15
W70: 1 S Johnson (Mercia) 26:04
HECKINGTON 10, Lincolnshire, July 27
Newarks Edward Buck won by more than five minutes in 50:21 in his first outing over the distance.
Further down the field, Fiona Usher went second on the W60 rankings for the year with 69:56.
Overall: 1 E Buck (Newark) 50:21; 2 D James (Clee) 55:49
M45: 1 I Bailey (Slea) 57:33
M55: 1 S Barkes (Linc W) 62:35
Women: 1 C Thornton (Linc W) 60:05; 2 R Cole (Linc W, W40) 62;49
W60: 1 F Usher (Linc &D) 69:56; 2 T Gibson (Wolds) 75:38
HALDON RELAYS, Devon, July 26
Men (4x3km): 1 Tavistock 41:06
Fastest: O Thorogood (SWRR) 9:41
Women (4x3km): 1 SWRR 41:18.
Fastest: A Gidey (Ex;mth) 11:08
W60: C Newman (Exmth) 13:02
IPSWICH TWILIGHT 10km, Suffolk, July 26
Lizzie Wellsted, the 2023 Southern junior cross-country champion and Euro Cross team medallist, was just outside her rankings leading 2024 under-20 best of 33:00 from April, when taking the womens section in 33:10.
This was the overall second-best junior time for the year for the Colchester Harrier, who won by more than three minutes from top W45 Ellen Leggate.
It was back in 2006 that Leggate set her personal best of 36:00 and here, in her first outing over the distance for more than nine years, the 2002 and 2003 British Universities and 1997 AAA under-20 1500m champion, ran 36:05.
Overall: 1 J Nixon (C&C) 31:51; 2 B Barber (Ips H) 32:42; 3 B Carpendale (Felix) 32:47
M40: 1 D Rock (Felix) 33:07
M45: 1 J OBrien (St Ed) 33:19
M60: 1 J Campbell (Ps J) 39:26
M70: 1 J Self (Kesgrave) 44:54
Women: 1 L Wellsted (Col H) 33:10; 2 E Leggate (C&C, W45) 36:05
W50: 1 J Garnham (Stow) 43:17
W60: 1 V Jennings (Ips J) 45:50
W65: 1 S Lockhart (Ips J) 48:12; 2 J Morgan (St Ed) 48:42
LAST FRIDAY 5km, Hyde Park, London, July 26
Ultra man Ollie Garrod, the world 40-mile record holder, took his 10th win in the event in the last couple of years.
Overall: 1 O Garrod (E&E) 15:24
M50: 1 S Shaw (ESM) 16:46; 2 C Blackburn (Holl Sp) 16:48
M60: 1 A Leach (NHRR) 16:48; 2 S Plummer (ESM) 18:13; 3 A Green (North Tri) 18:44
M70: 1 N Hoult (Read RR) 22:04
Women: 1 N Lenane (Belg, W35) 18:35
W50: 1 A Farrell (Tun W) 20:30
W60: 1 H Briggs (Serp) 23:28; 2 N Stanford (Serp) 26:14
W65: 1 M Connolly (S Kent) 24:58
W70: 1 M Statham-Berry (Ling) 24:40; 2 R Tabor (Dulw R) 26:31
WEDDING DAY multi-terrain 7km, Bushy Park, Twickenham, London, July 26
Overall: 1 J Hutchins (Wok, M40) 22:43; 2 N Impey (Rane, M40) 22:47; 3 L Triccas (Clap) 22:49
M50: 1 N Tearle (G&G) 23:16; 2 D Williams (S Lon) 24:05; 3 S Winder (E&E) 24:07
M65: 1 D Ogden (S Lon) 26:30; 2 G Neville (SHAEF) 26:44
Women: 1 M Collings (Wok) 24;30; 2 K Grinyer (G&G) 24:40; 3 G Reynolds (Herne H, W40) 24:53
W50: 1 S Biggs (Strag) 28:02
W55: 1 S McDonald (S Lon) 28:15
W60: 1 J Balfour (Strag) 29:38
W75: 1 S Garner (Ling) 37:46;
WORSTED 5, Norfolk, July 26
Overall: 1 J White (Norw) 24:48; 2 L Allden (Norw) 24:53; 3 A Harrell (High) 24;57
M60: 1 J Moore (Norf G) 31:03
M70: 1 G Nelson (Bure) 35:27
Women: 1 A Horney (Norw RR) 30:01; 2 H Carr (Wym) 30:07
W40: 1 A Beck (Bure) 30:35
W55: 1 L Hurr (Norf G) 35:30
W60: 1 C Brown (Wym) 35:13; 2 P Carr (G Yar RR) 36:22
W65: 1 A Stewart (Norw RR) 37:59
MOTAVATION SERIES, Race 4, Coombe, Oxfordshire, Oxford, July 25
Last years overall winner Matthieu Marshall scored his first of the five race 2024 series over the 4mile 379-yards trip, with its 326ft climb, in 21:46, as Steph Giles made it three womens wins this year.
Further back in the mens race, Thames Hare & Hounds Ben Reynolds, who won the South of the Thames Junior Championship nearly 40 years earlier, made it three M60 victories in this campaign.
Overall (4M 370yds): 1 M Marshall (Head RR) 21:46; 2 C Jardine Abing) 21:53; 3 M Lock (Wit) 22:16
M40: 1 D Blake (Wit) 22:35
M50: 1 J Bolton (Wstock) 23:40
M60: 1 B Reynolds (THH) 25:00
M70: 1 R Grant (Oxf C) 31:16
TEAM (6 to score): 1 Abingdon 77; 2 Head RR 80; 3 Witney 124
Women: 1 S Giles (Alch) 25:54
W55: 1 J Pennington (Abing) 31:46
W65: 1 J Fabes (Abing) 32:54
TEAM (6 to score): 1 Head 62; 2 Witney 149; 3 Alchester 172
LAKESIDE 5km, Portsmouth Hampshire, July 24
This series has been a popular hunting ground for M45 James Baker and here, he notched up his first victory around the water for two years, to take his wins in races and Park Runs to 1137, with a narrow victory in 15:57.
It was the Chichester Runners 33rd first place here over the past 20 years.
Overall: 1 J Baker (Chich R, M45) 15:57; 2 T Beasley (Havant, U20) 15:59
M65: 1 M Hargreaves (Ports) 19:44
Women: 1 S Winstone (Soton, W35) 17:36
W55: 1 K Nelson (Chich R) 22:33
LEEDS 5km Series, West Yorkshire, July 24
City of Leeds Richard Allen won by more than two minutes in 14:35 as Sue Haslam confirmed her position at the top of the W70 rankings with a 22:07 clocking.
In the June race of the series, Haslam had bettered Sandra Branneys month-old previously listed British Masters best by 27 seconds with 21:24.
Overall: 1 R Allen (Leeds) 14;35
Women: 1 S Cross (Wetherby) 18:09
W40: 1 C Wills (Roundhay) 18:47
W70: 1 S Haslam (Scar) 22:07
STANDARD CHARTERED GREAT CITY RACE 5km, London, July 24
Overall: 1 F Slemeck (HW) 15:38
Women: 1 S Hewitt 17:56
W50: 1 K Harris (High) 18:06
SRI CHINMOY HASTY HARE 5km, Battersea Park, London, July 23
Kiwi Callan Moody won in 14:52 as tenth placed Chris Greenwood went top of the M50 rankings for 2024 with a 15:19 clocking.
Overall: 1 C Moody (Serp/NZL) 14:52; 2 N Bester (Best A) 15:07; 3 F Whitelock (Herne H) 15:11; 4 J Payne (VP&TH) 15:11; 5 S Lewis (VP&TH) 15:12; 6 R Fitzgibbon (Phoe) 15:12
M50: 1 C Greenwood (Kent) 15:19; 2 A Bond (Dulw R) 15:49;
M55: 1 M Symes (AFD) 15:59
M60: 1 K Myazaki (AFD) 17:39
U15: 1 E Sone (S Lon) 16:32
Women: 1 S Magson (Orion, U20) 16:45; 2 H Gaunt (Ton, W45) 16:49; 3 G Leyland (Herne H) 17:10
W50: 1 K Sung (M&M) 18:40; 2 V Buck (Kent) 20:12; 3 M Lennon (Dulw R) 20:32
W60: 1 K Flilschuh (VP&TH) 21:34
W70: 1 M Statham-Berry (Ling) 24:52
U13: 1 G Sone (S Lon) 22:43